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Ohio State University has named three firms to work with former Ohio Attorney General Betty
Montgomery on a second, two-month investigation of the OSU marching band, officials announced
today.

Montgomery will lead the task force. She will work with outside groups including the Arent
Fox law firm, David Vaughn Consulting Group and Ernst & Young. A fourth firm to perform a
cultural assessment has yet to be hired.

The university did not release details this afternoon about what expertise each firm will
bring to the investigation or how much they will be paid.

OSU President Michael V. Drake assembled the group in a letter to Montgomery dated Monday. In
it, he asks Montgomery to conduct an assessment of the band culture, review university oversight
and provide counsel on compliance with Title IX, which bans gender discrimination.

Drake said those groups are “nationally-recognized experts.”

“This important work will not only involve surveying the band culture, but also, providing a
process and forum for other affected parties to be heard by the University,” Drake wrote in the
letter. “The task force will not be asked to reopen any aspect of the recently completed Title IX
investigation.”

A two-month investigation by the university led to the dismissal of band director Jonathan
Waters on July 24. Investigators found a “sexualized” culture marked by pranks and rituals that
opened the door for sexual harassment. A complaint from a band member’s mother triggered the
inquiry.

“Our task force’s report will also answer some remaining questions and provide the university
with guidance moving forward,” Montgomery said in a statement today.

In her statement, Montgomery said she is a lifelong Ohioan and an admirer of the band.

“Understandably, it has been upsetting for many to learn of an investigation report issued by
the Office of University Compliance and Integrity that says that aspects of the band’s culture have
created a hostile environment for students,” she wrote, adding that band leaders failed to “correct
the situation.”